Assassins in Araluen
by Sparky's Girl
Summary: This is just a little thing that I hope will happen in Brotherband Chronicles – Scorpion Mountain. Basically, Princess Cassandra is in danger of an assassination attempt, and the Herons believe the most opportune time for an attack is at a ball. And things get awkward. Rated T because of romance.
1. Chapter 1

BROTHERBAND CHRONICLES

Scorpion Mountain

**Alright. This is my first ever Brotherband Chronicles fanfiction, so excuse my writing if it seems a little too OTP!**

Chapter One

Hal listened intently to Gilan's description of the dire situation they were needed for. He sat in a chair while Gilan stood and talked to him. Lydia, Thorn, and Stig sat beside him. The room was circular, with nice furniture and expensive rugs. But Hal needed to concentrate on Gilan.

"So far there have been three attacks," Gilan informed the young Skirl. "At least, that's the amount I'm aware of."

"You think there have been more?" Hal asked.

Gilan nodded. "That's exactly what I think." The heavy wooden and iron-enforced door opened, revealing a fit but nobly dressed girl around their same age. Gilan bowed. "Princess Cassandra," he started. "May I introduce you to Hal, Stig, Thorn, and Lydia?"

Her eyes locked on Lydia. Lydia watched her calmly. "You don't look Skandian," the princess said.

Hal looked on as Lydia's fingers clenched white around the hilt of her dirk. "You would know what Skandian women look like because…"

"I was held prisoner there," Cassandra answered. "I went by the name of Evanlyn."

"Evanlyn?" Lydia asked in disbelief. Hal sighed with relief as Lydia let go of her fatal weapon.

"What's the name to you?" Cassandra asked.

"I go up to a hunting house every so often in the mountains," Lydia said. "I carved my name under yours."

Cassandra smiled. "I forgot about that."

"Ladies," Gilan said. "Can we get back on task?" They both turned their gazes on him. "There is a ball tonight," he said. "We think that Princess Cassandra is in unexplainable danger before, during, and after the event."

Stig spread his hands. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Keep an eye out," Gilan said.

"I think I have an idea," Hal said.

"You sure you haven't left anything out?" Thorn asked under his breath. Hal glared at him, but continued.

"We'll have two Herons actually in the party as the princess' honored guests. The rest of the crew will be outside. I might have Stefan in the rafters to look for suspicious activity," Hal explained.

"One problem," Cassandra said. "All the guests are married couples. Two men would look suspicious, and a Skandian would definitely give you away."

"I think you've just boiled down our choices," Thorn said. "We have a man that's not full Skandian. He's half Araluen. He could pass off pretty easily. We have another who's not Skandian either – she's Limmatian. Also, you said the people are couples, making them the only two available for the job."

Hal quickly realized what they were getting at. Apparently Lydia did too. She looked like someone had slapped her with a frying pan. "What? No no no-"

"I agree," Gilan inputted.

"What?" Hal asked.

Stig huffed. "You and Lydia get dressed up-"

"Absolutely not!" Lydia exclaimed.

"Pretend to be a couple," Stig continued, unperturbed by Lydia's protests. "And protect the princess."

"No," Hal said.

Lydia gestured toward him. "Thank you!"

"You have to," Thorn told him gently but firmly. "You made the plan, after all."

"I-" Hal stopped. Thorn and Stig seemed to have outsmarted him. "Fine," he muttered.

"What?" Lydia demanded. "No!"

* * *

><p>Hal adjusted the collar of his tunic and black leather jerkin. He fiddled with the ruffles on the front of his shirt and the loose and uncomfortable sleeves that stretched to his wrists. He wore tight pants and swift black moccasins. Stig helped him and occasionally swatted Hal's hands away from a spot that he'd been fiddling with.<p>

Hal's hair had been washed and combed. He had been washed until he practically smelled like a lily. He was eager to get this over with. He couldn't help but wonder what Lydia had to go through to get ready…

The Herons were all outside in their positions, but Hal, Stig, and Thorn were still in the room.

"This feels like I'm getting married," Hal told him. Stig smiled. He spotted something over Hal's shoulder.

"Then this is going to get real awkward, real fast," he told him. Stig turned Hal around. He saw Cassandra walk in through the door. She wore a simple white petticoat with golden lace around her neck and waist. She turned toward the door.

"Lydia," she called.

"I'm not doing this!" came the reply. Cassandra huffed, crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes.

"Why not?"

"I look absolutely ridiculous."

"You do not!"

"You're joking."

"I'm serious, now come in!"

A tall and slender girl walked in the room. Her black hair was pulled up into a bun and strands of curly ringlets framed her face. Diamond studs were stuck in her hair. Her skin was tan and clean. Her face was not "covered in makeup" as she had feared. Her blush was perfect and complemented her high cheekbones. Ink lined her slightly uplifted eyes. She wore a dark red gown with a slightly lighter red fabric in between pleats in her skirt. The sleeves gathered at her elbow and spread out as the sleeve continued down her arm to stop in the middle of her forearm. Gold threads were sewn in delicate patterns around the edges of her dress. White satin gloves that only covered from her fingertips to her wrists.

Lydia smiled nervously. Stig elbowed him. He awkwardly realized that he'd been staring. Hal cleared his throat.

"What next?" he asked, turning towards Cassandra. She beckoned for them to come closer. She gave a single diamond ring to Lydia, who held it in her palm.

"Your engagement ring," the princess explained. "You two are going as an engaged couple. Since the guests will be high members of society, you will both have new identities. Hal, you'll be Hilton: Representative of Gallica. Lydia, you'll be his fiancé, Liana."

"Are there going to be any other Herons watching?" Lydia asked.

Cassandra shook her head. "They're all outside. They won't be able to see in. Stig and Thorn will be with them."

Thorn watched the two. Normally, he would jump at the chance to poke fun at Lydia and Hal, but he could tell that they were already feeling uncomfortable with the idea of being in that kind of relationship – even if it was only for one night. That wouldn't stop him from telling Karina when he got back to Skandia.

"You have to actually act properly," Cassandra said. She grabbed Hal's arm and had him extend it to Lydia. Lydia took it.

Stig smirked. "You have to act the part, Hal."

"Shut up, Stig."

"Last few details," the princess told them. "Don't hover around me the whole time. There is a second floor that looks down onto the ballroom, but it's for people who want to, uh, kiss. Stay away from that floor unless you really think you can-"

"Next detail please," Lydia said. Hal looked to his right at her. She looked as uncomfortable as he felt.

Cassandra smiled. "Don't try to make too many friends. Just light conversation, or the people will talk to you _forever._"

"I take it you don't like talking?" Hal asked.

"Could've fooled me," came Thorn.

"One more thing," she said. "If you spot anything, Lydia, excuse me, _Liana _can use her ring to reflect light. Start flashing it out the North-East window."

"If we see something suspicious, Jesper said he'd sneak in to the ball and tell you, then sneak out," said Stig.

Lydia nodded. She turned to Hal, her eyes full of embarrassment but with a sparkle of adventure. "Let's go to a party, Hilton."

**1 review at least for the next chapter. Please. You can just say: "Good" if you want to, just let me know someone is reading this and wanting to read more!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'M BACK! **

**Hello, wonderful people. I bet you've been waiting a while. (Not really, it's only been a few days)**

**Anyway, here are the aliases for Lydia and Hal in case you need to remember stuff:**

**Lydia: Liana, fiancé to Hilton**

**Hal: Hilton, Representative of Gallica**

**Enjoy, share, and review!**

Chapter Two

Hal walked with Lydia into Castle Araluen's ballroom. He'd seen some faces peering out of the woods and was sure that the other Herons had spotted them in the fancy clothes. He'd just have to skirt around the inevitable conversation.

"Let me do the talking, unless they ask you a question," Lydia instructed.

"Yes dear," he answered. Lydia looked at him gravely. "Just trying to get into the part," he defended.

She smiled. "All right. What am I supposed to call you?"

He thought for a minute. "Dearest would fit in," he said. Lydia nodded.

"Dearest it is then. But not a word to the other Herons."

"Agreed," he said. They walked around the edges of the ballroom for a minute. He couldn't help but stare at Lydia when she wasn't looking. Her hair was smooth and silky and her hands were smooth and clean. He looked away and turned his attention back to the party. Ahead, a plump, elderly lady in a yellow gown sat with another middle-aged woman in a blue gown. Their escorts stood and talked with one another. Hal could just catch a few snippets of their conversation.

"-on the princess' life!" the woman in the blue gown said. "Clarence has seen the reports himself, you know." She gestured to her escort, presumably her husband.

The old woman gasped. "5 attempts! Reyna, you can't be serious!"

"5 attempts?" Hal whispered. "I thought it was 3!"

"Apparently not," Lydia hissed back. She walked over to the women. "I am so sorry if I am intruding, but I thought you said the princess was in danger. I heard about 3 attempts, but 5!"

"That's not the worst part," the woman, Reyna, gossiped. "It's someone in this ballroom."

"No!" Lydia gasped, acting surprised.

"Yes," Reyna said.

The elderly woman looked at her curiously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Liana," she answered. "My fiancé, Hilton-" she gestured towards Hal. "He's a representative of Gallica."

"But I know the representative," Reyna said. "Excuse me asking, but can you explain why you're here?"

"Hilton is his partner's son," Lydia explained. "Unfortunately, my father-in-law was killed in a sparing match last Thursday. All of Gallica now denies he ever existed."

"Oh you poor thing!" the elderly lady cooed.

"May I see the ring?" Reyna asked. Lydia gracefully extended her right hand out in front of her. The ladies gossiped some more. Hal was looking around when particular question aroused his interests.

"Hilton has been working on Socorro's slave market, haven't you, dearest?" Lydia gossiped. "In fact, that's why we had to postpone our wedding. We haven't the faintest clue of when the event can actually happen!"

"George and I had the same problem," the elderly lady said. "It was tragedy!"

Hal looked around again, smiling to himself. That's when he spotted a purple cloak of a Genovesan on the second floor.

**Okay, for those of you who don't remember the second floor, it's the one where the couples to kiss. Yeah, awkward. **

**It also looks down onto the ballroom, making it a perfect place to go and assassinate somebody. **

**Also, since this is a relatively short chapter, I'll post another because I feel really bad about just leaving you guys like this.**

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, straight to the action.**

**I have planned out the next 10 chapters all ready. You're welcome.**

**Review!**

Chapter Three

Hal saw the cloak of a Genovesan. That means an assassination attempt was in progress. He had to act, and fast.

He took Lydia's hand. "Liana, dear," he said. He just managed to keep his voice from squeaking. "May we talk in private?" Lydia seemed to read him like a book.

"Reyna, Carol, it was positively wonderful getting to meet you," she said.

"And it was lovely meeting you, dear," the elderly lady, Carol, said sincerely.

"Send us an invitation to your wedding!" Reyna called after them.

"I will," Lydia promised. Hal led her down the ballroom to a door. He pushed it open and it silently obliged. They went up a spiral staircase to the second floor.

"Uh, Hal?" she asked. "Are we going where I think we're going?" He didn't answer. He opened another door to the second level and entered a long, stone corridor with windows looking over the ballroom below them. A single couple stood at the other end of the hall, but Hal ignored them. Lydia and Hal went to the railing. He searched the crowd below.

He saw dozens of colors as the sound of light conversation reached up to their ears. There were some people who were dancing, but not many.

All of a sudden, he heard the CLUNK, CLUNK, CLUNK of armor coming towards them.

Lydia's hands turned Hal's face toward hers and she kissed him. The action was so unexpected, Hal didn't move. He noticed that she smelled like cinnamon.

Then, he realized what she was doing. She was helping to keep their identity a secret. People look away from public displays of affection. It certainly worked on these guards. They simply walked away as Lydia and Hal kissed.

She hugged him and put her head on his shoulder so that he was looking to his left – over the ballroom. She whispered in his ear. "Do you see anything?"

"Nothing right now," he said. He seemed to have lost the Genovesan. "The kiss was a smart idea," he complemented.

"Thanks," she said. "I think." Hal smiled. He heard footsteps again. Lydia put her hands on his shoulders and he put his hands on her waist. She kissed him again. The footsteps seemed to stop right behind Hal.

"Hal?" Jesper asked in disbelief. Hal and Lydia jumped.

"Gorlog's beard, Jesper!" Lydia hissed. "You scared me to death!"

"What are you doing?" he inquired suspiciously.

"We're trying to keep our identities secret," Hal answered. "Apparently, she's my fiancé." Lydia showed him the ring.

"It's just so we can keep an eye on the princess," Lydia said. "The only people here are couples, so we had to act like one. This floor is restricted to, um, those people." She gestured down the hall at the other couple. "Please don't tell anyone on the Heron!" she begged.

Jesper nodded. "Okay. Stig just wanted me to check in. Have you seen anything?"

"We thought we did," Hal said. "We came up here for a better look."

Jesper clapped his hands together softly. "Well, this is awkward."

Lydia glared at him. "I swear, if you tell anyone-"

"Got it. Lips are sealed," Jesper gulped. He made a mime of zipping his mouth closed and locking it. Jesper sneaked out of their field of vision.

"Can you trust a thief?" Hal asked.

Lydia shrugged. "Probably not."

He spotted some soldiers coming over Lydia's shoulder and quickly kissed her again. The men passed. Hal looked at the opposite side to the second floor, across the ballroom.

There stood a purple-cloaked figure with a small crossbow aimed straight at Princess Cassandra.

**I will probably be posting the next chapter later on today. I've got a cold or something, so, yeah. You're welcome, I guess?**

**But before I do that, I'll need 1 more review! Share with your friends!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, again! **

**I have another wonderful chapter here. If you have read some of my other stuff, you'll know that I LOVE PLOT TWISTS. Plot twists? Guaranteed.**

**Take from that what you will.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Four

Lydia quickly snatched a small tube from out of her sleeve. She blew into it and a poisoned dart flew from the end of the weapon and embedded itself into the assassin's skin. Hal looked on as the man fell over the railing and into the crowd of dancers.

The guests backed away from the body silently. No one was talking. It was scary how quiet the hall was. A man stood up. He had neat brown hair with harsh blue eyes, yet he seemed to manage a calming smile.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he boomed. "Please, continue on with the festivities! We have men looking for the assassin as we speak."

Cassandra caught Lydia's eye. She asked a silent question. Lydia nodded slowly. Cassandra looked away.

"Who's that?" Hal whispered, gesturing to the man. The event picked up momentum.

"Mundane Gravis," Lydia answered. "He's the King's advisor-."

Hal noticed Gravis doing a large sweep of the ballroom and quickly kissed Lydia, cutting her off before she could finish her sentence. He put his arms around her waist and held her closer. She slid her hand through the back of his hair and placed a hand on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Hal saw Gravis watch them suspiciously. Lydia was about to pull back, but Mundane Gravis was still watching them. Hal leaned closer to her ear.

"He's watching," he whispered. He kissed her again. Lydia moved her hands to his face. Hal was feeling a little uncomfortable, but Gravis stopped watching them and moved on. Hal pulled back. He was pleased to realize that he was about 6 inches (15 centimeters) taller than Lydia.

Lydia looked up at him. "What's our next move? Weren't we supposed to signal the Herons?"

"Yeah," Hal said. "But we're done, I think. Wow, that was fast."

Lydia nodded. "What time is it?" Hal checked the sun out of a nearby window. It was gone. The moon was now straight up in the sky.

"It's about midnight," he answered. "The guests will be leaving soon."

In fact, the guests were already leaving. Hal and Lydia were about to follow suit when Mundane Gravis stood in the middle of the room.

"Excuse me," he called. "May I have your attention please?"

The guests turned toward him. Lydia and Hal looked down on the ballroom.

"I don't like this," Lydia whispered. Hal had to agree. There was something that just wasn't quite right about that man.

"I am pleased to announce that we have found the usurpers!" he boomed. Everyone clapped. Mundane Gravis waited from them to calm down. "These traitors have hired Genovesans to kill Princess Cassandra!" The crowd gasped. Mundane nodded gravely. "Yes. In fact, these traitors aren't even Araluens!"

"Lydia," Hal whispered. "Flash your ring out the window." She was about to move when a cold hand grabbed her arm in a steel grip. Another grabbed Hal's arm. The men escorted them downstairs. They entered the first floor ballroom and were roughly thrown in front of Mundane Gravis.

"And here they are!" he exclaimed. "People, I present to you Hal Mikkelson and Lydia Demarek, members of a Skandian warship." Hal looked up at Gravis. Gravis' cold eyes fixed on him. "Take them to the dungeon," Gravis instructed.

Hands grabbed Hal by his shirt and pulled him up into a standing position. A man pushed him forward and led him to the staircase again, but instead of going up, they went down a level. A door swung open to reveal the dungeons, but these weren't regular cells. Instead of a door that swung open, the top of each cell was a wooden trapdoor that covered about ¼ of the cell's ceiling. The trapdoor was about two feet by two feet and only opened from the outside. They were taken to the third of five cells located on the right side of the long dungeon hallway. A soldier threw open the hatch and it hit the stone floor with a CLANG!

Hal was thrown in first. He landed awkwardly on his foot 2 meters below the trapdoor. He stood up as they threw Lydia in the dungeon cell and Hal rushed to catch her. He caught her and she hastily stood upright. She looked up angrily at the guards, but they simply shut the door, engulfing Lydia and Hal in total darkness.

She grabbed his hand. "Well, that was definitely not part of the plan."

**Hal and Lydia? In Castle Araluen's dungeon? Sparky's Girl? Where the heck are you going with this story?  
>You'll have to see! *evil laugh*<strong>

**1 more review, guys! Then I'll post another chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again!**

**Where we left off: Hal and Lydia were just thrown into a dungeon cell. (If you just said: "WHAT?" Reread the last 4 chapters.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except half the plot. **

Chapter Five

Hal and Lydia's eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness. They had found the driest spot in the cell and tried to get what they could of shuteye.

Hal hadn't really been sleeping. He simply sat upright against the cell. How did his plan go wrong? He knew better than anyone that plans didn't always work, but this was just…

The trapdoor opened and he stood warily, all too aware of his sprained ankle. He gently shook Lydia awake. She sat up as a figure climbed into the cellar.

"Cassandra?" Lydia asked.

Indeed, it was. Her gown was replaced by a simple brown tunic and skirt. She held a lantern in her right hand.

"Are you both alright?" the princess of Araluen asked. Lydia nodded.

"Why were we arrested?" Hal asked. "Didn't they know that we were on their side?"

Cassandra shook her head. "Only my father, Gilan, and I knew. We were trying to expose the usurper."

"Great. So we might be tried for attempted murder on the royal family?" Lydia threw up her hands in exasperation.

Cassandra suddenly got serious. "Stig and Thorn want to personally question 'the traitors,' but they don't know you're both in here."

"Even better." Hal face palmed himself. How could this plan get any worse?

"There's more," Cassandra told him. "Jesper told me you guys went to the second floor-"

"I told you, you can't trust a thief," Leanne growled. "What did he say?"

Cassandra shrugged. "Something along the lines of: 'I saw Lydia and Hal go up to the second floor. It was awkward.' Then he just walked away."

"We went up there to see if we could find the Genovesan," Hal explained. "I had seen him from the first level-"

"You don't need to explain yourselves," Cassandra said. "I know that you were jut protecting me. I thank you. I can't believe there was only one assassin this time."

Lydia tilted her head. "Maybe the Herons got another one?"

"Maybe."

Hal would've been listening closely, but he couldn't get his mind off of the fact that Jesper had told Cassandra. He promised not to tell the Herons though, so he technically didn't break his promise by telling Cassandra. He should've known Jesper would try to find a loophole.

"I need to go," Cassandra said. "I have to let Thorn and Stig in in an hour. Until then, I advise you to get your rest." She took the lantern in one hand and climbed out of the dungeon. As soon as her footsteps faded, Lydia stomped her foot.

"I swear to all the gods I will _KILL _Jesper!" she hissed. Hal limped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lydia-" he started, but she noticed him limping.

"Wait, are you hurt?"

Hal rolled his eyes. "I'm fine."

"Hal Mikkelson, answer me. Are you hurt?" Hal sat down.

"I sprained my ankle," he stated. "They threw me in and I landed on it. It'll be fine in a day or two." Lydia went over to him. She pushed down gently on his ankle. Hal winced.

"Well," she huffed. "It's not broken."

"I know that," he said through gritted teeth.

She ripped a strip of her dress from the bottom edge, soaked it in water, and wrapped it around his ankle. He closed his eyes as the cool water soothed his ankle.

"That should help," she said. She sat down across from him and sighed. "I'm not looking forward to seeing the Herons again."

Hal chuckled. "They'll probably never let us live that down."

"Nope. Not in a million-" She stopped. For a minute, he thought she had just fallen asleep. That's when he heard a muffled scream.

He started to move, but something cold and sharp pressed against his throat. A match struck and sparked to life and the flame lit up the cell.

Lydia's mouth was gagged. Her face was blank and unrelenting. Six men stood in the small space. Two of them were holding Lydia's arms behind her back. Another two grabbed Hal and forced him into the same position. One just calmly held the light, but the last was scarily familiar. His face had several battle scars, and he was missing his left arm. His raven black hair was tied back. His lips were pulled up into a menacing smirk and he had a cruel and horrifying attitude about him.

The worst part? Hal recognized him, and this man shouldn't be alive.

"Zavac," he spat. Zavac's beady eyes settled on him.

"Hal, is it really you?" Zavac chuckled. "It seems that we can't stop having these 'happy' meetings."

"Why are you here?" Hal demanded. "What's your business?"

Zavac grinned. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. I have found a secret maze of tunnels just under here that lead to outside the castle walls. I've been making frequent recruiting trips here over the past few weeks and now have a new ship of my own."

He looked over Hal and Lydia like they were rare specimens that he couldn't wait to sell. "I was hoping for recruitments, but apparently, we'll have to go back to one of my favorite places." He reached out a blood stained fingernail and drew an invisible line from Lydia's collarbone to her chin.

"Don't touch her," Hal threatened. Zavac chuckled again.

"I love this quality time we get to spend together." He slapped Lydia's face hard, making the skin red and raw. Lydia cried out, but her cry was muffled again so that it came out more like a whimper.

"Say," Zavac said, pacing around the dungeon. "Why don't you come with us? We'll have a positively _captivating _time!" He laughed, then snapped his fingers and a pirate punched Hal's jaw. He collapsed to the floor. The last thing he saw was Lydia crumbling to the ground as well.

He couldn't give up, but darkness eroded at his will like waves on a beach, taking his will and carrying it out to sea, sending him into unconsciousness.

**Review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome back! I feel awesome. I literally have written all of this in a day. (Halleluiah!) Enjoy!**

Chapter Six

Stig and Thorn waited anxiously in the nicely furnished room where Hal had first proposed his plan. The plan was supposed to be completed an hour ago, and Hal and Lydia were supposed to be here by now.

Stig paced around the room. "What could've happened to them? It was just a dance! How could they screw that up?"

"You know Hal has never been good at dancing," Thorn muttered. Stig ignored him.

The door opened. Princess Cassandra walked in.

"Where's Hal and Lydia?" Stig asked.

Cassandra said nothing and looked down. After a few seconds, she looked at them guiltily. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do."

"Please," Stig gestured towards a chair and sitting on a stool himself. "Enlighten me."

Cassandra walked over to the chair and sat down. She folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath.

"Hal and Lydia successfully killed the assassin using a small poison dart," she told the Skandians. "Unfortunately, someone framed them to be the traitors. The entire world now believes that they hired the Genovesans to kill off the royal family."

Silence.

"WHAT?" Stig exclaimed, jumping up from the stool.

"I know-"

"So our skirl is in the dungeon with one of our shipmates, the real traitors are on the loose, and there's nothing we can do about it?!"

Cassandra stood. "I can take you to see them."

"Please do!" Stig said, barely getting his anger under control.

She stood, turned, and exited the room with Stig and Thorn on her heels. She led them through twisting hallways and spiral staircases until they entered the dungeon. She pointed to the third cell on the right row. Stig walked to it and opened the trapdoor. He peered in.

When he could actually see 2 feet in front of him in the darkness, he didn't see much of a difference.

The cell was empty.

"They're gone," he told her. He stood up and brushed grime off his trousers.

"Gone?" she asked.

"Gone," he answered. He ran up the stairs to the second level of the ballroom.

He looked out the window and saw a black ship sailing out to sea.

"Wait." He squinted, trying to make out details. On the back, in unmistakable red letters was a single word: RAVEN.

"No," he murmured. "That's…that's not possible."

"What is?" asked Thorn. The legendary Maktig came up behind him and followed his gaze. His keen eyes made out the word much quicker.

He hit the wall with his fist. "I thought we sunk that ship!"

"We did," Stig said. "But what if he-"

"No." Thorn shook his head. "He can't be alive. If he is, then we're in trouble."

Stig thought for a minute. "What if Zavac took Hal and Lydia?"

"That's impossible-" Thorn started, but Stig interrupted him.

"And that is?" Stig pointed out the window at the rapidly disappearing ship.

He turned around. Something glinted in the early morning sunlight. He picked it up and looked at it.

It was Lydia's fake engagement ring.

Cassandra appeared at his side. "Yeah, this is where they would've been standing." She pointed at the opposite side of the room. "That's where the Genovesan was before he fell over the railing."

"Wait a second," he said. "Hal and Lydia were standing here?"

Cassandra looked him in the eye pleadingly. "They asked me not to say anything. Jesper knows, though. If you want information, ask him."

"Princess," he said. "Tell me exactly what happened."

She sighed. "Fine. Hal saw a Genovesan and wanted to get a better look, so they came up here. They were about to get caught when Lydia thought of a sneaky plan. She kissed Hal and the guards moved on. They only did it whenever they were about to be discovered. They thought more guards were coming, but it was only Jesper. That's how he knows. Don't tell anyone else."

Stig's eyes widened. "They…kissed?"

"Yes," she said impatiently. "But you can't tell anyone else."

"How many times?" Stig pestered.

"Like, four."

"Four?!"

"Stop it. They were only protecting me," she scolded. "They did what they had to. If they hadn't, they'd be in the dungeon and I'd be dead."

"They were in the dungeon-"

"But they would've been found out before they could kill the Genovesan."

Stig shook his head in disbelief.

"Can we move on from this?" Cassandra asked. "Your friends are missing!"

"Zavac has them," he growled. "And they're not my friends. Not anymore."

Thorn put a hand on Stig's shoulder and whipped him around. "Gorlog's beard, boy! Your friends do their duty to Skandia and Araluen, and because of the fact that they wanted to save Princess Cassandra and keep their identities a secret, you want to leave them to Zavac's dwindling supply of mercy? Can you imagine what they'd feel like if they knew you abandoned them? You saw them before they went into the party together. They weren't comfortable with the idea, were they?" Stig didn't reply. Thorn shook him. "Were they?" he repeated.

"No," Stig muttered.

"And think of Zavac!" Thorn continued. "This is his chance for revenge! He loathes Hal and Lydia both as well as the rest of us. We've already tried to kill him, so look me in the eye and tell me just how much of a chance Hal and Lydia have at surviving whatever Zavac has planned!"

Stig looked Thorn in the eye. He thought of how helpless Hal and Lydia would be on a ship, surrounded by pirates with no weapons whatsoever. He couldn't do that to them. He made his decision.

"What are we waiting for?" he asked. "We have some shipmates to save."

"Shipmates," Thorn stated. "Not friends?"

Stig wasn't backing down. "I'm gonna have to have a talk with them when we find them, but for now, they're in danger, and I'm not going to just let them die."

**Stig? Is somebody jealous? Yep. **

**Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, let's get this started peeps.**

**This might be a shorter chapter…**

**Thanks to everyone who is reading this right now. I love you guys!**

Chapter Seven

"No way," Stefan murmured. The Herons (except Stig, Thorn, Hal and Lydia) were sitting on their ship, listening attentively to Jesper's last glimpse of Hal and Lydia.

Jesper nodded. "They did. They said they were trying to keep their cover from being blown or something, but they still did it!"

Ingvar felt conflicting emotions about this new piece of information. He did like Lydia. A lot. And he had always been a loyal friend and crewmember to Hal. Was he jealous? Angry, even?

He heard thundering footsteps behind him, seemingly coming up the jetty. He turned and squinted, trying to make out any people, but he just saw two blurred forms coming towards them – one nearly double the size of the other.

"Get ready to cast off!" Stig's voice shouted across the water. The Herons stood uncertainly and started moving to their positions. Ingvar got out of the way as fast as he could, moving to the stern and sitting down.

The smaller figure came into focus a bit more and Ingvar could make out some of his details – long blonde hair, fair and a little bit tan skin, and the traditional dusty brown clothing of the Skandians. A leather canteen hung at his waist beside several saxes. His eyes were as blue as the sea and as sharp as a sharpened battle-axe.

"Where's Hal and Lydia?" Wulf asked as Stig approached the ship.

Stig snapped his fingers. "Gone."

"Gone?" Ulf asked, appearing next to his twin.

"Yes," Stig sighed impatiently. "Gone."

Jesper twiddled his thumbs. "Where are they?"

"GONE!" Stig exclaimed. "We don't know where they are."

"Not even some sort of idea?" Edvin pressed. Stig took a deep breath. He'd come far from that hot-tempered boy Ingvar used to hear about. Of course, Ingvar had never seen Stig have one of his old fights, but words travelled through Hallasholm quicker than a wild fire.

"We have an idea," said the bigger figure. Ingvar now recognized him as Thorn. "None of you will believe us."

Ingvar snorted. "Well unless you've got some other idea, we might as well hear it."

Thorn nodded, acknowledging Ingvar's point. There was a lot more smarts in the short-sighted teenager than most people gave him credit for. Thorn, having been one of those people, knew the fact better than anybody.

"Zavac," he said. The Herons blinked at him. That couldn't be possible.

But Stig nodded gravely. "We saw a black ship sailing away quickly, probably trying to get away before dawn. It's called the _Raven_, and that can't be a coincidence."

Ingvar looked towards the direction of the sun. A tangerine orange circle was slowly beginning its path across the sky, yet, as Ingvar held up a finger to it, it was only an hour from the horizon.

"So they have an hour head start?" Ingvar clarified, turning back to the first mate.

"Exactly," Stig said. "We have to get moving." Through the years, Ingvar had unconsciously trained his hearing, and he could detect a little resentment woven through Stig's words. He decided not to pursue the subject and remained silent.

"Raise the sails!" Stig ordered. The Herons jumped to their tasks.

Stefan untied the mooring line and gave them an extra push before leaping onto the deck.

The _Heron_ started moving forward and the sheets caught the wind. Stig stood at the tiller, gently guiding the ship through the maze of other vessels.

They soon emerged from the dock and onto harsher waves. The Heron figurehead nodded with the ship, as if it was agreeing with the crew's decision to pursue the black ship.

_Hang on Hal, _Ingvar thought. _We're coming – I just hope we're going in the right direction._

**Alright! Go Ingvar!**

**Can you think of Rolland's face when he hears the information?**

**LOL…**

**Okay, here's a review question:**

**_What song best represents the Heron Brotherband?_**

**I personally think that'd be **

**-C'mon by Pan!c at the Disco feat. Fun, but let me know your idea!**


	8. Chapter 8

**HELLO! I'm back again.**

**I didn't even realize I hadn't posted this chapter, so I am DEVASTATINGLY SORRY!**

**Also, I'm starting a Ranger's Apprentice Fanfic. It stars an OC, but Elise Hazelwood is one of my best OCs so far, so if you could check that out, that'd be great!**

**It's located at the bottom of my profile - it's called Run Away.**

**Let's get straight to it.**

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><p>Chapter Eight<p>

Hal woke up on a ship.

That's all he could tell. The floor was rocking back and forth in a familiar pattern. His ankle throbbed and his jaw felt numb. He opened his eyes and looked around. It looked like he was below deck – the room he was in was wooden with crates of every size surrounding him. A single staircase stood to his right. Iron bars sprouted from the floor to the ceiling for a built-in cage.

He remembered what had happened and he stood up painfully, leaning against the bars for support. He looked around, searching for any sign of Lydia or chance of escape, but he froze when he heard a scream above deck, followed by men's laughter.

"Lydia," he breathed. Another scream echoed across the waves and in his mind. More laughter. Suddenly, the men were silent. Hal could hear heavy panting above him.

"How does it feel?" Zavac's voice taunted. "Do you feel hopeless? Scared, even?"

No response. Hal clutched the bars, praying that Lydia was all right.

A solid _SMACK_ filled the silence, followed by a whimper and small chuckles. "Well?" he demanded.

Nothing. Lydia was standing up to Zavac – in her own way.

"Foolish girl," Zavac said softly, his voice trembling with rage. "By the time I'm done with you you'll have wished you just stayed in that pathetic little town."

Lydia said nothing.

"Take her below deck!" Zavac ordered. The men obeyed his order immediately. Footsteps clopped on the deck above him as well as stumbling footsteps. Two pirates appeared at the top of the steps, holding a beaten and battered Lydia. Her dress was ripped and dirty. Her face had two cuts - one on her left temple and one on her right cheekbone. She tripped down the steps, her face trying to show no emotion, but he watched her lip quiver faintly.

She didn't look at him, but he saw a small stream of blood dripping from her forearm to her fingertips before falling to the floor to stain the wood crimson.

The pirates didn't move. They watched him with blank - almost impatient - expressions. Hal wondered what they could possibly want when he realized that he was still standing near the entrance to the cell. They probably thought that as soon as that door was open, he'd make a run for it.

He clenched his fists and stepped away from the door. The two pirates unlocked the door and thrust Lydia into the cage. She tripped and fell on the hard floor. Hal scrambled to her side knelt beside her and the pirates hurriedly closed the iron door. He helped her sit up against the metal bars. She couldn't meet his gaze.

"Lydia?" he asked softly. She didn't respond. She looked the other way, hugging her left arm – the one that was now bleeding.

"What did they do to you?" he whispered. He could tell that she was trying not to show emotion like she always did, but she was in too much pain. Her eyes watered.

Hal touched her shoulder lightly. "You can tell me."

She didn't say anything. She slowly extended her left forearm. On her arm, a single word was now a scar on her skin.

_ZAVAC. _

Drops of blood trickled from the corners of the letters and slid down her arm.

"He took his knife and carved it," Lydia whispered. Hal wrapped his arms around her. She leaned her head on his shirt and let tears stream down her dirty cheeks, wetting Hal's shirt, but he didn't care.

"It's going to be okay," he soothed. She shook with gentle sobs against him.

And that was just the first day.

Everyday for a week, Zavac would bring one of them out for more "quality time."

The second day, Hal had been whipped. The third, Lydia had been forced to sword fight against Zavac. Instead of killing her, he would cut her every chance he got. The fourth day, Hal got his matching ZAVAC carving as well. The fifth day, they were pressed for information, and hit every time they wouldn't give it up.

Every night, Lydia and Hal would grow closer. They only once talked about the ball, but it was just too awkward to talk about. Plus, Zavac could've used that information against them.

And somewhere over those few days, Hal realized that they were on their own, with nothing except torn up and bloody clothes.

And they were very, much, alone.

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><p><strong>AWWW! Hadia everybody! <strong>

**Review! Did you like this? What about Lydia and Hal's new scar? **


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